Carroll County, and Galax, Virginia

This trip, July 12 to 14, could have been very different. This is the beginning of the sixth year of these explorations. I thought maybe I would skip places that voted for our current President, but the whole point was to get to know what it is like in this part of the world. Then I thought maybe I would stay in the closest Democratic place, and visit from there, like in this case, Blacksburg, Virginia or Winston-Salem, North Carolina, each about an hour from Hillsville, the county seat of Carroll County. That seemed pointless when I thought about it.

I ended up booking one of the cheap brands of my usual motel chain at the exit on I-77 between Hillsville and the independent city of Galax, about seven miles from each of them, three counties south of Princeton, West Virginia, and on the border of North Carolina. I could have done this differently by staying in a campground or renting a cabin along Blue Ridge Parkway or in New River State Park. My custom is to stay in anonymous chain hotels. It's boring, but there it is.

I drove the 270 miles from Morgantown to Hillsville, napped, then checked out Hillsville. It's a pretty town with a historic court house, and a newer fake colonial county office complex nearby. There  are two blocks of commercial buildings, also historic, and a small residential area north on Main Street. The real commercial district is at the I-77 interchange with US 58, a few miles west of Main St. I walked a bit downtown and visited the library, which has a collection of dolls, mostly International Barbies. I didn't ask why. I did ask the librarian where to visit. She suggested the old courthouse, which has a museum centered around a shooting that occurred there in 1912.

Carroll County Courthouse, 1870s, with a monument to Confederate soldiers

Doll collection, Carroll County Library, Hillsville

Main St. Historic District, Hillsville

I didn't see a lot of Confederate stuff in Hillsville, although the old courthouse has a statue dedicated to Confederate soldiers. This area was out of most of the Civil War action, isolated in the Blue Ridge and west of Virginia's main cities. The railroad didn't arrive until after the Civil War. Wikipedia says that Carroll County has been Republican since the Civil War because it was a haven for deserters from the Confederate Army.

I realized there wasn't going to be much "city" in this area, so before dark Wednesday I drove a piece of Blue Ridge Parkway, which runs west to east through the southern part of Carroll County. I drove west to Galax, which straddles the line between Carroll County and Grayson County, then south to Blue Ridge Parkway. I noticed the beginning of a rail trail in Galax, a bike store that rents, and a movie theater outside of downtown Galax, showing the new Spiderman movie.

Vista along Blue Ridge Parkway, Carroll County

Farmland along Blue Ridge Parkway

Sidna Allen House, 1910. The county historical society is trying to raise money to complete the restoration. The Allens were implicated in the courthouse massacre in 1912

I decided to go to Galax Thursday morning, rent a bike to ride on the rail trail in New River Park, then see "Spiderman." It was supposed to be cool in the morning, then warming up with thunderstorms in the afternoon, clearing later.

I accomplished those things. It was cool, but humid in the morning, and I rode the trail from 9:30 to 11:30 along New River and some other streams, in a park, adjacent to some semi-rural residential areas. I ate lunch at a diner-type place, nicer looking than I expected and busy, in downtown Galax. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, hold the mayo, and, uh, onion rings. I was impressed that the server knew without my asking that I would want ketchup for my onion rings.

At the movies at 12:45, the young man with a top knot staffing the concession stand asked me if I had seen this movie before. He had seen it three times and wanted to see it again. Admission was only $4.00. I feared the picture and sound would be awful in this dinky theater, but actually it was fine. We can thank digital projection and sound for the demise of bad movie theaters.

The movie was well done. You could see how much money was spent on special effects, blowing up cars, crashing airplanes, splitting a Staten Island ferry in half. The movie was filmed in a half dozen places, all of which gave the filmmakers tax credits. Tom Holland, the 21-year old star, was adorable. I didn't believe he was fifteen, unless a fifteen-year old boy has his hair styled and colored and has a trainer come to his house three times a week to work him out. Still, it was a break-out part for a young actor, who is in every scene, and gives off the sincerity that's written into the script. My favorites were Robert Downey, Jr., as Spiderman's mentor, Marisa Tomei as a hipster Aunt May, and especially Michael Keaton, balls out as the villain of the piece. Kudos to the producers for the multi-racial high school, realistic for New York, and the men and women of all races who portray the faculty. Nice touch. So I liked it, even though it is very much a "boy" movie.The female actors don't have a lot to do.

Galax Commercial District

Empty factory, Galax

Falls along the rail trail, New River State Park

New River State Park

Felts House, 1930, Galax

I went back to the hotel to nap, missing, the late afternoon thunder storm, dined on a bowl of pasta and a salad near the motel, and set off to find the remaining historic places on my list before turning in. It was a wild goose chase for most of them, down rural roads, looking for streets that were unsigned. I only took a pic of a house in downtown Galax.

Galax particularly is a nice little town, with a real central business district. There was once a railroad and a furniture factory, now a rail trail and a decaying building for sale. It's a center for bluegrass music and the furniture company still has a showroom in town. Yes, most of the people voted for the current President in both Carroll County and Galax, and I still saw some of his signs around. The people I spoke to were unfailingly polite and respectful. No funny looks or racial innuendos, which happen in some places.

The scenery is lovely out there in the Blue Ridge. The trees were not exactly the ones in Morgantown. I would need to read up to find out what does grow there. This was a fun trip for me. I was home by 4 P.M. Friday, held up by construction on I-79 near Clarksburg, most of the way home.

Update: Vaughan-Bassett Furniture is, in fact, still manufactured in Galax.